During the
First World War he reached the rank of lieutenant in the
Royal Navy, He later served with the
Tank Corps, holding the rank of lieutenant at the time of his participation in the 1924 Olympics and that of major at the time of his ordination. Willis finished second behind
Larry Stanley in the high jump event at the
1924 AAA Championships. Shortly afterwards he was selected for the
British team at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. When his father retired in 1927, Willis took over Ascham St Vincent's School, running it until 1938, when he closed and sold the school and resumed his military career in light of the situation in Europe that led to the
Second World War. Willis later studied at
Ripon Hall in
Oxford until 1956, in which year he was ordained a deacon, subsequently ordained a priest in 1957. He died in 1979. He had married in 1917, Ruth R. Davis; they had two sons and a daughter. == References ==